Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

Communities Invested in River Restoration

Successful river restoration requires a lot more than a focus on improving the biophysical. Renewal of these important freshwater resources requires buy-in from local communities and organizations as well as close consideration of social dimensions. Eileen Johnson, a recent doctoral graduate based at the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, studied these essential collaborations.

Johnson and a research team based at Bowdoin College, Bates College and the University of Southern Maine made an interesting discovery. Though communities each defined restoration differently, the team found that towns and cities along the Kennebec and Androscoggin were invested in river and riverfront improvement.

“We found that many communities do not wait until significant restoration has been achieved, but respond to shifting public perception towards these systems, expanding opportunities to recreate on or alongside rivers. And we found that communities use these projects as a mode of engendering public support for restoration actions,” said Johnson who received her PhD at UMaine in Ecology & Environmental Sciences.

Johnson was part of the Restoring Maine’s Rivers project, part of the five-year Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI) based at the Mitchell Center. The multi-institutional team investigated the impact of river restoration on community economies and implications for near shore fisheries in the Gulf of Maine.

Johnson said the opportunity to practice sustainability science through the Mitchell Center allowed her examine complex problems at their sources.

“Having lived in Maine for over 20 years and worked for organizations and academic institutions in Maine, I enjoyed the collaborations I developed through being a member of the SSI program,” she said. “The opportunity to work directly with my advisors while also serving as a member of a multidisciplinary team gave me a richer appreciation for the role of interdisciplinary approaches in resolving complex resource management challenges.”

Johnson was recently appointed a Lecturer at Bowdoin College. She also serves as Program Manager for the college’s Environmental Studies program.  She teaches courses that incorporate community-based research.

Johnson’s UMaine graduate advisors were Kathleen Bell, Associate Professor in the School of Economics, and Jessica Leahy, Associate Professor in the School of Forest Resources.